You’ll be able to meet with SLD members even before the sessions start at the SLD table at the Welcome Celebration. We also recommend participating in the Buddies welcome Newbies program, and attending the SLD Newcomers Lunch (Thursday, October 26, 12:30 pm) – please remember that registration for this event closes on Friday, October, 20.

Read more about the SLD Newcomers Lunch here. Remember that this event is open to both newcomers and those who have already attended ATA conferences in the past.

In addition to organizing the newcomers lunch, Jen Guernsey has prepared a blog post with advice for the first-time attendees. You can read it here. Natalie Mainland, a recent first-time attendee, shares her experience and offers advice in this post. If you would like to read other conference reviews by first-time attendees, the Summer/Fall SlavFile Preview issue has a list of articles going back to 2004.

SLD Annual Dinner

This event will take place on October 26, from 7pm to 10 pm at Meze. You can find detailed instructions on registration and information about the event here. While we do offer an opportunity to register at the Welcoming Celebration, we would very much like to have as many attendees as possible register before October, 20. Please register now to avoid possible cancellation!

In addition to that we encourage all SLD members to attend the Annual Meeting on Thursday at 4:45 pm to 5:45 pm. This is an opportunity to discuss the division initiatives, find out about division plans, meet other members and help shape the future of our division. SLD Annual Meeting agenda has been published in the 2017 Summer/Fall SlavFile issue on page 24.

Other ways to make a difference

Even if you are not willing to take on a specific position as a member of the Leadership Council, you can still contribute to the division. For example, we would love SLD members and other conference attendees to share their experiences and/or reviews of non-Slavic sessions. Read a post from Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya, the SLD Blog Editor, to find out more.

Final reminders

Please remember that there is a new badging policy in place: do not forget to wear your attendee badge for any conference events and activities.

If you would like to attend one of the SLD events, please remember to register in advance, by October, 20, for both Newcomers Lunch and Annual Dinner.

Lastly, please consider contributing to the division, either by attending the Annual Meeting or by submitting a review, a post, or a SlavFile article.

We wish all attendees an exciting time in Washington, D.C., and hope to see you there!

Several members have requested SLD to start compiling sign-up sheets to facilitate mingling between SLD members during ATA conferences.

This year we offer all SLD members attending the ATA 58th Annual Conference an opportunity to explore Washington, D.C., restaurants offering Slavic (or, in one case, Uzbek) food together.

If you are interested, you can see additional information on the venues and sign up here.

Once the registration closes on October, 23, we’ll send out group emails to participants interested in the same time, date, and venue. From there it’s up to them to decide whether or not to make a reservation, where to meet, and how to get to the venue.

We hope that this new initiative will be of interest to the SLD members!

You’ll notice that there are no options for Thursday. We would like to encourage our members, both new and old, to attend the division events scheduled for that day: Newcomers Lunch and SLD Division Dinner.

Please remember that the registration deadline is October 20th for both of the events.

For SLD Dinner, please remember that we need to reach a minimum number of attendees in advance to avoid event cancellation. Do not wait until the Welcome Celebration to register!

This lunch is for conference first-timers AND any experienced conference-goers who would like to join in to welcome the new folks.

Meet us in the lobby at 12:20 to walk over together, or just meet us at the restaurant.

To expedite service, we will order from a limited menu of about 15 dishes and pay for our own meals individually.
Please reserve your spot by emailing Jen Guernsey at jenguernsey@gmail.com by Friday, October 20. Please specify any dietary restrictions.

2017 ATA 58th Annual Conference—Washington DC

Meze Restaurant is in Washington, DC’s Adams-Morgan District. Located only one-half mile from the conference hotel, the restaurant is easily accessed on foot. The establishment has been in business since 2001 and specializes in Turkish meze dishes. According to the restaurant, meze dishes “are intended for sharing, and offer diners the opportunity to experience multiple flavors in one meal.” The Division’s event will be held in Meze’s private Gold Room with a seating capacity for 50 guests.

Please join other Division members and guests for an enjoyable evening. Converse with friends and colleagues, make new acquaintances, and welcome Division newcomers.

Dessert

Dietary Options: Vegetarian and nut- and gluten-free options are indicated in the menu. If required, a separate vegetarian menu can be made available upon request. Please coordinate any other special dietary requirements with Fred Grasso (frdgrasso@satx.rr.com; 210-638-9669) no later than Wednesday, 10/25/2017.

Beverages: Iced tea included; non-alcoholic and alcoholic available beverages available for purchase.

TICKET PURCHASE

Ticket cost is $50.00 per person (includes iced tea, sales tax (10%), and gratuities (20%)). Tickets can be purchased by PayPal (preferred) or check received not later than Friday, 10/20/2017.

NOTE: If a vegetarian or gluten-free menu option is required, please so indicate when purchasing your ticket.

Payment via PayPal: Access the PayPal website (www.paypal.com) and select the “Send Money” tab. Enter the amount ($50 per person) and choose the “Friends and Family” option. In Step 2, use the following e-mail address: frdgrasso@yahoo.com.

Check payment: Mail a check for the appropriate amount made payable to “Fred Grasso” at the following address:

Fred Grasso
14414 Indian Woods
San Antonio, TX 78249-2054

NOTE: Provided space is available, a limited number of last-minute tickets can be purchased—cash only—during the ATA welcoming reception on Wednesday, 10/25/2017.

ATA 58th Annual Conference: Early Registration Ends September 15

The savings on early Conference registration are too good to miss

You belong where you can connect with over 1,800 translation and interpreting professionals from throughout the U.S. and around the world. You belong where you can tackle current challenges, collaborate with industry leaders, and help shape the future of your profession.

ATA Advanced Skills & Training Day

Wednesday, October 25, 8:30am-4:30pm

Register for the Advanced Skills & Training Day and learn from some of the most experienced translators and interpreters in the profession! This “conference-before-the-conference” offers 15 three-hour courses of intensive, interactive education. Limited seating to guarantee individual attention.

If you plan to attend ATA58, consider participating in the T&I Advocacy Day on Wednesday before the conference.

“Learn about the Federal issues that impact language services professionals, challenges to and opportunities for growth of the profession, and best practices for advocacy before heading to Capitol Hill. This all-day advocacy event is complete with training sessions, collaborative working groups, and meetings with Congressional offices and Executive Branch agencies!”

Post by Jennifer Guernsey – originally published in 2014

As far as language divisions go, the Slavic Languages Division is by far the most linguistically diverse. Most language divisions are monolingual. The only other division that comes close to the SLD is the Nordic Division, which encompasses five languages. Slavic languages, on the other hand, number more than a dozen. Not only that, but our division also welcomes members speaking any language of the former USSR. We are a diverse lot, indeed.

The Slavic Languages Division was originally founded as the Russian Language Division, and though the name was changed a few years later, in 1996, the Division’s origins and its preponderance of Russian speakers meant that it initially offered little to the speakers of other (i.e., non-Russian) Slavic languages. Fortunately, during my decade as an active member of the SLD, I have seen the other Slavic languages become much more active and better represented in all aspects of the Division’s activities. This has been the result of two major shifts: a more encouraging and welcoming attitude on the part of the Russian speakers, and more speakers of other Slavic languages willing to step up and become active in the Division. Both of these are key to ensuring that all Division members are able to reap the benefits of Division membership.

What opportunities exist in the Division for the speakers of other Slavic languages, and how can the Russian speakers continue to foster their continued inclusion and involvement? As the Leadership Council member responsible for outreach to non-Russian-speaking SLD members, I’d like to provide some suggestions:

Conference presentations: Last year we had one Polish session and one Serbian/Croatian session; the year before we had a Polish session and a Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian Greiss lecturer. These sessions would not have taken place if not for the presenters’ initiative and effort. If you want to see presentations in your language, make it happen. Propose your own presentation, recruit a colleague to present, or suggest suitable Greiss lecturers. For further information, contact Lucy Gunderson (russophile@earthlink.net) and Fred Grasso (frdgrasso@satx.rr.com).
Blog postings: Write your own post. Blog postings are short- to medium-length articles on any topic of interest to the Division. Posting is a great way to get name recognition within the Division and particularly among your same-language colleagues, and to ensure that the Division blog contains material relevant to your specific language. For more information, contact our blog administrator, Sam Pinson (sjpinson@pinsonlingo.com).
SlavFile: Write an article – it doesn’t have to be long, just relevant. You can also suggest topics for future articles or recommend articles from other publications for reprint (with appropriate permission, of course). If you’re interested in taking it to the next level, serve as a SlavFile Language Editor, recruiting people to write articles related to your language. As with blog postings, writing for the SlavFile is great for name recognition, networking, and ensuring that the SlavFile contains articles relevant to your language. For more information, contact our SlavFile editor, Lydia Stone (lydiastone@verizon.net).
LinkedIn Group: Post a comment relevant to your language to the SLD’s LinkedIn group. For more information, contact Todd Jackson (todd@moselytranslations.com).
Listserv: Aside from the Russian listserv, there is a Yahoo-based listserv for only South Slavic languages. To join that listserv, go to https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ATA-SSLI/info. If you are interested in starting a listserv for your language, contact Lucy Gunderson (russophile@earthlink.net) and Fred Grasso (frdgrasso@satx.rr.com).
Twitter feed: Just launched! Subscribe and/or tweet something relevant to your language @ATA_SLD.
Certification: Among the non-Russian Slavic languages, certification is available for Croatian<>English, English>Polish, and English>Ukrainian. For more information or to register for an exam, go to http://www.atanet.org/certification/index.php. It is possible to establish certification in additional languages, but it requires a certain critical mass of participants and considerable time and effort. For further information, see http://www.atanet.org/certification/abourtcert_new_language.php.
Web page: Your language group can create its own web page, which can be linked to the SLD web page provided it undergoes the normal review required of all ATA-associated web pages. For further information, contact webmistress Zhenya Tumanova (eugenia@tumanova.org).
Leadership Council: Serving on the Leadership Council is a great way to get involved, learn more about the Division, forge closer connections with other Division members, and ensure that your language is represented. For more information, contact Lucy Gunderson (russophile@earthlink.net) and Fred Grasso (frdgrasso@satx.rr.com).

For the Russian speakers:

Remember that the lingua franca of our division must of necessity be English.
When possible, make your contribution – whether a blog post, a SlavFile article, or a conference presentation – useful to all SLD members. Obviously, some topics do not lend themselves to this: a discussion of idioms or legal terms, for instance. But some topics are of interest to the entire division, while others can be expanded to encompass multiple languages. When John Riedl and I did a presentation on pharmaceutical translation a few years ago, we decided to “pan-Slavicize” our presentation. It took a bit of effort and coordination, but our non-Russian language colleagues readily responded to our request for aid, so we were able to include multiple Slavic languages in the exercises we used, and we offered participants a multilingual glossary.